Researchers start New Year with promising weight loss study for children and parents using long-term, intensive intervention

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2 million to Seattle Children’s Research Institute to study a method that targets obesity using long-term interventions that provide children and parents with focused guidance and education to help them reach and sustain weight loss goals. The study, known as the SHIFT study (Success in Health: Impacting Families Together) takes place over a five-month period in which children ages 7-11 and their parents meet weekly for intensive sessions at regional clinics.

"This study is a great opportunity for one-on-one attention and group support for families who are starting this New Year thinking about weight loss and healthy habits," said Dr. Brian Saelens, Principal Investigator and director of the study. "Past results using this intensive method showed promise, and we are excited to expand this research with NIH support."

For over forty years, researchers have studied medical interventions to target obesity but have not made enough progress to stop alarming obesity rates in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Pediatric obesity increases a child’s risk of harmful health effects such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and respiratory problems.

The NIH funds expand Saelens’ previous obesity research to include more participants in clinics located in Seattle, Federal Way, Everett and Bellevue. The first phase of the study examined how long-term obesity intervention delivered by a professional compared with long-term intervention delivered by peers, who are parents that received the treatment themselves.

In this phase of the study, a family will meet individually with an interventionist in weekly sessions to discuss goals, and then parents and children go to separate group sessions. The sessions are focused on subjects including healthy eating, how to support children in behavior changes, how to improve the home environment for physical activity and healthy eating, and how to build confidence and incorporate more physical activity into family life. The goal is to have 300 families participate in the SHIFT study. The treatment sessions occur over five months and families can initiate participation over the next four years.

"Our preliminary results show that intense intervention and education is an effective weight loss treatment, but that level of sustained attention from a medical provider comes at a high cost that is rarely covered by insurance and can be prohibitively expensive for families," Saelens said. "One of the exciting findings in our earlier study was that peer-to-peer interventions between families are as effective as professional interventions, perhaps even more effective, and they can be delivered at much lower costs. Also, parents who are peers may get additional benefits from delivering the intervention."

Previous studies of peer-to-peer interventions have shown them to be effective for treating health issues including tobacco use and HIV prevention. Saelens and his group will assess the long-term effectiveness of the intervention by looking at impacts up to one year after the end of treatment.

Saelens’ study begins as the NIH budget gets a $2 billion dollar boost thanks to a federal spending bill signed by President Barack Obama in December. This would be the first major budget increase for the NIH in 12 years.

"The President’s commitment to increasing NIH funds is hopeful news for pediatric researchers," said Dr. Jim Hendricks, President of Seattle Children’s Research Institute. "History demonstrates that when Americans invest in research, we discover cures that save lives. About 20 percent of the American population is kids, but only five percent of the NIH budget goes to childhood research. This new wave of funding will accelerate our research to find cures and better treatments for pediatric diseases and conditions."

The funds for the study came from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

For more information on the study or to participate, visit shiftstudy.org.

About Seattle Children’s

Seattle Children’s Hospital, Foundation and Research Institute together deliver superior patient care, advance new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and raise funds to create better futures for patients. Consistently ranked as one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children’s Hospital specializes in meeting the unique physical, emotional and developmental needs of children from infancy through young adulthood. Through the collaboration of physicians in nearly 60 pediatric subspecialties, Seattle Children’s Hospital provides inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, surgical, rehabilitative, behavioral, and emergency and outreach services to families from around the world.

Located in downtown Seattle’s biotech corridor, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is pushing the boundaries of medical research to find cures for pediatric diseases and improve outcomes for children all over the world. Internationally recognized investigators and staff at the research institute are advancing new discoveries in cancer, genetics, immunology, pathology, infectious disease, injury prevention, bioethics and much more.

Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation and Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild Association work together to gather community support and raise funds for uncompensated care, clinical care and research. The foundation receives nearly 80,000 gifts each year, from lemonade stand proceeds to corporate sponsorships. Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild Association is the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the country, serving as the umbrella organization for 450 groups of people who turn an activity they love into a fundraiser. Support from the foundation and guild association makes it possible for Seattle Children’s care and research teams to improve the health and well-being of all kids.

Seattle Children’s provides healthcare without regard to race, color, religion (creed), sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin (ancestry) or disability. Financial assistance for medically necessary services is based on family income and hospital resources and is provided to children under age 21 whose primary residence is in Washington, Alaska, Montana or Idaho.